The amount of compensatory sweating depends on the patient, the damage that the white rami communicans incurs, and the amount of cell body reorganization in the spinal cord after surgery.
Other potential complications include inadequate resection of the ganglia, gustatory sweating, pneumothorax, cardiac dysfunction, post-operative pain, and finally Horner’s syndrome secondary to resection of the stellate ganglion.
www.ubcmj.com/pdf/ubcmj_2_1_2010_24-29.pdf

After severing the cervical sympathetic trunk, the cells of the cervical sympathetic ganglion undergo transneuronic degeneration
After severing the sympathetic trunk, the cells of its origin undergo complete disintegration within a year.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0442.1967.tb00255.x/abstract

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Sympathethetic influence on Cerebral Blood Volume following excsion of the superior cervical ganglia

Shortly after operation there is a leakage of the noradrenaline transmitter from the degenerating nerve terminals with and accompanying activation of the vascular receptor (the CVB was foudn to be reduced by 28%). When the transmitter has disappeared from the degenerating terminals, the neural influence of the vessels is abolished (the blood volume was increased by 34% compared to unoperated controls). About 2 weeks later, a pronounced denervation supersensitivity of the vascular receptors to circulating catecholamines develops (the CVB became nromal or even subnormal).
Another circumstance giving the impression of inconsistent results after denervation is that a difference in the effects of pre- and postganglionic operation is usually not fully considered.
Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
Volume 28, Number 7 / July, 1972